Approved Final TMDLs

Final TMDLs Approved by EPA: Little Youghiogheny River

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The Little Youghiogheny River is a tributary of the Youghiogheny River, located in Garrett County, Maryland. The Youghiogheny River flows northward into Pennsylvania, joining the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers to form the Ohio River. The mainstem of the Little Youghiogheny is about 11 miles long with a watershed covering about 26,000 acres. The watershed is bounded towards the southeast by Backbone Mountain. The headwaters of the Little Youghiogheny River begin north of Deer Park, MD and the river drains into the Youghiogheny River near Oakland, MD. Tributaries of the Little Youghiogheny River include Block Run, Broad Ford Run, Trout Run and Cotton Run.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has identified the Little Youghiogheny River and its tributaries in the State of Maryland’s 303(d) List as impaired by nutrients (listed in 1996), sediments (1996), fecal bacteria (2002) and impacts to biological communities (2002 and 2006). Broadford Lake, located within the Little Youghiogheny River watershed, has been identified as impaired by nutrients (1998) and methylmercury (2002). The Little Youghiogheny River has been designated as Use III-P (Nontidal Cold Water and Public Water Supply). Broad Ford Run and all its tributaries above Broadford Dam have been designated as Use I-P (Water Contact Recreation, Protection of Aquatic Life, and Public Water Supply). All other waters of the watershed are designated as Use I (Water Contact Recreation and Protection of Aquatic Life). See Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 26.08.02.08S. The document available below, establishes a TMDL for fecal bacteria in the Little Youghiogheny River watershed that will allow for attainment of the beneficial use designation of water contact recreation. The Little Youghiogheny River listings for nutrients and sediments have been addressed by TMDLs approved in 2001 and 2007, respectively. The Broadford Lake listings for nutrients and methylmercury have been addressed respectively by a TMDL, approved by EPA in 2000, and a Water Quality Analysis, approved in 2004. The listings for impacts to biological communities will be addressed separately at a future date. MDE monitored the Little Youghiogheny River watershed from 2003-2004 for fecal bacteria. A data solicitation for fecal bacteria was conducted by MDE in 2003, and all readily available data from the past five years were considered.

Total Maximum Daily Loads of Fecal Bacteria for Little Youghiogheny Creek in Garrett County, Maryland